A Mutual Trade
by suyazuya
Summary: After the war, Harry kept having these nightmares. Nightmares that made it impossible for him to sleep. After trying the cheap mass produced potions, the effects faded away and he can't sleep. It's his seventh year at Hogwarts and he seeks help from one of the best Potions Masters in the wizardry world. But a deal with Severus Snape doesn't come so easily...


Sometimes choices and decisions led to a consequence you could have never suspected. The choice that changed his life, would have been that one night, he thought he was going to end all of his fears.

The night was dark, the moon had disappeared and the stars led no guidance. Thunder and rain roared through the castle's halls and echoed in the student's eardrums. Everyone was sleeping away as if the thunder was but a mice scurrying away and not shaking the earth below.

There was one person awake, The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep. The war was over, but there was battle after battle in his head. He has spent a summer helping people, families, houses recover from the ruins they had to face. Each day, he had worn himself out so much that his mind would be blank at the end of the day. His mind would be so blank that he wouldn't have to see the bodies on the ground of the dead whose blank eyes looked into his and asked: "why didn't you save me?"

Yet, as he enrolled his last year in Hogwarts, the ghosts of the war haunted him in a different level. It had only been two weeks since school started and he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. Everyone had troubles sleeping, but he, he couldn't sleep at all. Even if he worked to the bone, like he had in the summer, the dreams would come barging into his mind.

The thunder roared once more. Harry stood up in his bed. His mind had been made up. He grabbed his invisible cloak and his map. He checked it over after leaving the Gryffindor common room and not even Flinch was moving around the castle. The portraits were sleeping, the students were sleeping, the teachers were sleeping, and even the elves were sleeping. So why couldn't he?

He put the hood of his cloak down and walked quietly through the halls with a destination in mind. He felt faint and sick and he wasn't sure that this was the right choice anyway. Once he arrived at the door, the little bit of courage he had, started to leave him again. But he was here, so he might as well try. He gave a loud knock on the wooden door. Several bumps and mumbles later, the door opened.

With a surprised and extremely tired look, Snape sneered, "What do you want in the dead of night, Potter?"

"Please. Help me," Harry was crying. He didn't remember when he had started, but he felt so tired. He couldn't remember what rest felt like. Even in the summer, it wasn't sleeping, it was just a blank nothingness. And during the war, when was he ever comfortable to sleep? It had been so long.

Snape obviously noticed that Harry wasn't here to play around. His skin was pale and his eyes were super red, a red that wasn't just from crying. His voice was weak.

"What do you want?" Snape looked down at the pitiful boy.

"A sleeping draught," Harry whispered. "It isn't just a want, I need it."

Snape closed the door to his room. Harry looked at the door in confusion, unsure if Snape was going to help him or not. He was about to knock on the door again, but it opened before his hand could reach the door. Snape was staring down at him and then motioned a bottle in his hand, for Harry to grab.

"Thank you, sir. Thank you," Harry was smiling, his tears had dried up but still left his eyes red. Snape nodded and closed the door to Harry again. Harry hurried back to the Gryffindor tower. Before taking the potion, he put a sign outside his curtains, Do not wake me up.

When Harry woke up, it was already the evening of the next day. The tower sounded quiet and Harry realized it was dinner time. He headed towards the Great Hall where his friends had been surprised to see him.

"I thought you were going to sleep in tomorrow," Ron muttered while taking a bit into his bun.

"I think it's good he finally rested well. Did you take a potion like I mentioned?" Hermione turned towards Harry with a smile.

Harry felt so relaxed and rested. He was grinning without knowing it. He nodded and started digging into dinner. He ate so much as if he was making up for his missed breakfast and lunch. He took a glance to the teacher's table and noticed Snape wasn't there. He exchanged more greetings with other Gryffindors who seemed to seem to feed off his mood and the whole Great Hall started bustling with laughter and giggles.

The trio started to head towards the common room, but Harry agreed to meet them later. He wanted to see Snape before tonight, to get another sleeping draught. Some Slytherins threw him glances as he headed for the dungeons with them, but none stopped to ask questions.

No Slytherins headed past the potions room to his destination. He stared at the door and it felt like last night was just a few minutes ago and not the seventeen hours he had slept. His hand fell towards the door again, not sure of himself still. With a weak knock, he heard shuffling behind the door to know that he was heard. The door opened and he could hear a large sigh from the teacher.

"Yes, Potter?" he frowned. Even after the war, it seemed Snape had only grown colder towards Harry. As if, Harry knowing his secrets made him want to guard his heart even more.

"I-i just wanted to ask for another sleeping draught again." Harry shuffled his feet nervously.

"Very well." Snape, again, disappeared behind a closed door and returned with another bottle of sleeping draught. "Sleep well," he said before disappearing again.

For some reason, Harry shuddered to hear Snape say "sleep well". It was like the world was warning him of some unforeseen foreshadowing that he was definitely, most certainly not ready for.

This continued again and again for a week. He didn't even have to ask, Snape just handed him the potion and shut the door.

Harry knocked, it was Saturday again. It took awhile for Snape to answer the door and he looked like a mess.

"The school supply is out," Snape said and shut the door. Harry's heart raced. What did he mean the school store was out? It couldn't be. He couldn't go back to those, those sleepless haunting nights. He felt like he was getting his life back again. Wait, Snape said the school supply.

Harry knocked on the door again. Snape shuffled inside his chambers and answered the door. "Yes, I just said-."

"You said the school supply. What about your supply?" Harry interrupted in desperation.

"Come in, Potter," Snape said and widened the door. Harry was a little more than shocked. Snape had made it very clear that he didn't want a relationship with the boy, but inviting him into the room seemed too personal for what the professor would normally do.

Snape didn't stand by the door, he just left it open and expected Harry to follow. And he did, while confused and cautious, he was very desperate. "Potter, why should I give you my store? Yes, I could start making some, and make sure you had potions for the rest of your- close the door, Potter, I'm not barbaric- life. But why would I choose to spend that time on you?"

Harry shut the door and tried to digest what Snape was saying. "A favor from someone who is begging you."

"Ah, so it's a favor." His voice was cold, but when he looked into Harry's eyes, his eyes were even colder. "What would I get from that, now Potter?"

Harry was stunned. He truly didn't expect such coldness to come from Snape. Of course, he wasn't expecting rainbows and sunshine and a nice kiss on the cheek, but this definitely came with a surprise. Without a second thought, Harry blurted, "I'll do anything. Anything. I'm begging you, sir."

Snape's eyebrow twitched and the corners of his mouth rose with a smirk. "Anything? What could I want with a useless, incapable boy."

Harry's heart was dropping. He was staring into Snape with a sense of hopelessness. He watched as Snape turned away and rose without a care. Snape walked slowly to a cabinet and muttered a spell under his breath and the cabinet opened itself. He shifted some bottles and grabbed a small vial. He closed the cabinet once more and walked back to the chair he was seated on. He stared at Harry.

"Here is a sleeping draught potion. I will give you one on the promise that you will come back into my quarters tomorrow evening." Snape looked at him. Harry reached forward and nodded, but Snape drew his hand back.

"Yes, sir. Yes, I'll come back tomorrow." Harry gasped out. Snape nodded and gave him the potion. He looked towards the door and motioned that Harry could take his leave.

This agreement was the beginning of something much larger than either had planned.


End file.
